Mechanical pencil



March-28, 1950 wELL: 2,502,277

MECHANICAL PENCIL I I Filed March 5; 1946 Inventor Dousms W. POWELL- om ywy m By I,

Patented Mar. 28, 1950 2,502,277 MECHANICAL PENCIL Douglas W. Powell, Yakima, Wash. Application March 5, 1946, Serial No. 652,007

(Cl. 120 1s) 3 Claims.

The present invention relates to new and useful improvements in mechanical pencils and has for its primary object to provide gripping means for the lead to take up play of the lead in the tip of the pencil and to prevent dropping of the lead from the tip.

In certain types of mechanical pencils the construction does not include adequate means for properly holding the lead in position in the tip of the pencil, thus resulting in the frequent dropping of the lead from the tip. It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide means in a mechanical pencil whereby the lead is firmly held against loss of the lead from the tip thereof.

A further object of the invention is to provide means for adjusting the gripping action upon the lead so as not to interfere with the normal feeding of the lead in the tip.

Another object is to provide a device of this character of simple and practical construction, which is emcient and reliable in operation, relatively inexpensive to manufacture and otherwise well adapted for the purposes for which the same is intended.

Other objects and advantages reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a view in elevation of the pencil with parts broken away and shown in section;

Figures 2, 3 and 4 are transverse sectional Views taken respectively on the lines 2--2, 3-3 and 4-4 of Figure 1 and,

Figure 5 is a perspective view of one of the lead gripping jaws.

Referring now to the drawing in detail wherein for the purpose of illustration I have disclosed a preferred embodiment of the invention, the numeral 5 designates the barrel of the pencil having an inturned flange 6 at its lower or front end engaged in a groove 1 on the upper portion of a tapering tip 8 whereby to rotatably mount the tip in the end of the barrel.

The barrel is provided with the usual spiral feed device 9 operated from a knob Ill at the upper or rear end of the barrel, the lower end of the feed device engaging the lead II to feed the lead outwardly at the end of the tip 8 in the usual manner. I

The inner end of the tip is formed with in ternal threads l2 engaging the threads l3 formed at the outer edge and at the inner end of a pair of elongated lead gripping jaws M which are positioned at diametrically opposite sides of the spiral feed device 9.

The jaws M at their outer edges and at their outer ends are beveled or inclined as indicated at [5 to conform to the inner tapering walls of the tip 8 against which the inclined edges l5 of the jaws are slidably engaged. The lower or outer ends of the jaws I4 provide opposed jaw faces l6 having longitudinally extending grooves l'l formed therein in which the lead H is seated.

The sides of the jaws I4 at their inner or upper ends are also formed with longitudinally extending grooves [8 in which the lower ends of resilient pins I!) are received, the upper ends of the pins being anchored in a disk 20 secured in a stationary position in the barrel 5.

In the operation of the device, the lead II is inserted in the tip 8 in the manner as illustrated in Figure 1 of the drawings and by rotating the tip 8 the jaws I l will be moved inwardly or outwardly with respect to the barrel 5 by means of the threads 12 and I3 engaging the tip with the jaws, the jaws being held against rotation by the pins l9 and disk 20. Accordingly as the jaws M are moved inwardly or outwardly the inclined edges thereof bearing against the tapering inner walls of the tip 8 Will move the outer ends of the jaws toward or away from each other whereb to cause a gripping or releasing action with respect to the lead I I.

In view of the foregoing description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings it is believed that a clear understanding of the device will be quite apparent to those skilled in this art. A more detailed description is accordingly deemed unnecessary.

It is to be understood, however, that even' though there is herein shown and described a, preferred embodiment of the invention the same is susceptible to certain changes fully comprehended by the spirit of the invention as herein described and the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A mechanical pencil including a barrel, a hollow conical tip rotatably mounted on the front end of the barrel with an opening therethrough for inserting a lead into said tip, jaws in said tip movable forwardly away from the barrel in camrning relation to said tip and operative by such movement to grip the lead, said jaws being threaded into said tip for movement of the same forwardly by rotation of said tip.

2. A mechanical pencil including a barrel, a.

hollow conical tip rotatably mounted on the front end of the barrel with an opening therethrough for inserting a lead into said tip, jaws in said tip movable forwardly away from the barrel in camming relation to said tip and operative by such movement to grip the lead, said jaws being threaded into said tip for movement of the same forwardly by rotation of the tip, and means slidably connecting the jaws to the barrel to prevent rotation of said jaws with said tip.

3. A mechanical pencil including a barrel, a-

hollow conical tip rotatably mounted on the front end of the barrel with an opening therethroughforinserting a lead into said tip, jaws insa icl tip movable forwardly away from said barrel in camming relation to said tip and 'operative by such movement to grip the leadnsaid jawsbeing;vv

4 a threaded into said tip for movement of the same forwardly by rotation of the tip, and means connecting the jaws to the barrel to prevent rotation of said jaws with said tip comprising pins fixed in said barrel and slidably into said jaws.

DOUGLAS W. POWELL.

REFERENCES CITED The followingreferences are of record in the fileof this patent? UNITED STATES PATENTS Number 

